I thought it might be neat to do a blog series regarding what goes on behind the scenes of a webcomic like ours.

First off, let’s talk a little about the origins of Super Skooled. Taylor and I both had our own projects that we wanted to prioritize, but for years we had not made much progress on them. After going to a comic con and seeing what other creative people were accomplishing, I finally approached Taylor about restarting Super Skooled, which we had toyed around with in the past. You can see evidence of our early efforts at the beginning of the strip.

The things that really made the difference this time were determination and accountability. Part of making any creative project is just rolling up your sleeves and pulling a Shia Labeouf. There is simply no substitute or workaround for hard work. Between the two of us, Taylor and I have put in countless hours simply sitting down in front of our computers, working on comics. If you want to make a comic of any kind, you must also have an insatiable appetite to create, a desire that overrides all of the myriad temptations that will be thrown at you.

But I would say that while determination is important, accountability is just as or even more critical. Taylor and I scheduled regular meetings where we would work on the strip. We continue these meetings to this day. While the best meetings are in-person, we make sure to touch base even when that’s not possible, even if it is over the phone. These regular meetings have kept us on pace when it comes to the release of the strip.

No matter how you look at it, without these two factors, Super Skooled would not exist.

(Author’s Note):

The first rule of Hall-Fight Club is…

One thing I really admire about Taylor’s work is how he’s managed to create a unique look for each different school. Hero High is shiny and new, while Darque Hearts is bleak, old, and sophisticated. It’s a nice touch.

(Illustrator’s Note):

We actually wanted to make the hallway look slightly singed rather than perfectly shiney but decided it might be harder to understand the joke.

(Author’s Note):

So now would be the time to allude to the fact that we based Gunterman on a real comic book guy who had quite the odious reputation online some years ago. He’s still around, and you internet detectives may be able to piece out who inspired his creation. But you’ll get no further hints from me. Unless you ask really nicely.